These Things We Say
by r2roswell
Summary: Takes place shortly after 'Who Died & Made You King'. Michael & Isabel are forced to deal with a situation that they had become experts at hiding.
1. More Lies

**Chapter 1: More Lies**

* * *

Forks and knives clanked on ceramic plates. A slice here. A slice there. Jesse placed a piece of steak in his mouth and washed it down with the ice tea that was in the glass. Isabel watched him. It was annoying. Jesse had not said a word to her since last night when Michael had gone off the deep end. Isabel knew something was bothering him but he wouldn't say what it was.

Isabel sighed but Jesse did not look up. She then slammed her silverware on the plate. Jesse looked up for a second before going back to his meal.

Isabel sighed again. "Damn it Jesse, are we ever going to talk?"

"I've got nothing to say," he said with some partial food in his mouth.

"Really, after everything that happened last night you've got nothing?"

"Do me a favor, I just want to forget that last night happened can we do that?"

"No I can't do that."

Jesse nodded and stood up taking his plate, "Fine."

"Jesse don't walk away!"

Jesse could feel himself getting angry. He took a breath and slammed the plate on the nearby coffee table. He turned to Isabel.

"Fine, you want to talk, let's talk!" Isabel was standing up now but keeping her distance. "Let's talk about how your brother nearly killed me last night. Only Michael isn't really your brother now is he?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You know exactly what I mean! I'll give you a play by play of his words- 'She was my first did you know that? We were together before you were born and we'll be together when you're nothing but bones.'"

Isabel crossed her arms and looked away. "Michael wasn't himself."

"No he was. That was pretty clear. And the fact that you could not tell me about it-,"

"There was nothing to tell! We haven't been together before in this life."

"This life, but you were in the other one weren't you?" Jesse shook his head. "You've lied to me. Another lie. Who knows how many you've told me. I can't even trust you anymore."

"Me loving you wasn't…isn't a lie."

"That doesn't matter. It doesn't change anything. Look I don't know what the hell is going on with you and him but whatever it is, figure it out Isabel!"

Jesse walked over to the coat rack and the tray where he kept his keys.

"Where are you going?"

"I need some air."

Isabel stood there in disbelief at the argument she had with her husband. It wasn't just Jesse's departure though that got her rattled; it was the words that Michael had said to him. Had he really said that or had Jesse just used Michael as an excuse for a fight?

It didn't matter. There was nothing going on so there was nothing to figure out.


	2. Caved In

**Chapter 2: Caved In**

* * *

"What am I doing here Max," Isabel asked as she entered the pod chamber.

Max had called her around 2:48 A.M. Isabel hadn't gotten any sleep and Jesse had not yet been home. She wasn't waiting up for him directly though she did occasionally call him and wonder where he was. Jesse never answered his phone.

Max waited a couple minutes. The two of them stood in silence as they both heard a bike engine come to a stop and then footsteps.

"What the hell do you want Maxwell," Michael said entering the chamber, "and what's with the cloak and dagger routine?"

"Jesse called me," Max replied. "Said you and he were having problems."

Isabel crossed her arms, "That's none of your business and since when do you even care?"

"I care when it becomes a problem for the three of us."

"Well it's nothing," said Isabel, "I can handle it."

"How by running away from it? Not this time."

"And what's this got to do with me," Michael asked.

Isabel flinched. It didn't go unnoticed by Michael and he immediately turned on her.

"Did Jesse say something?"

"Let it go Michael, it's what we do best right?"

"Not this time," Max repeated.

"You can't control us Max," Isabel said to him.

"No but I'm not going to let my second in command and my sister compromise us for some… whatever's going on between us."

"Us," said Isabel. "Whatever's going on between us- Max this has nothing to do with you! Just stay out of it."

"I can't do that. Consider this an intervention."

"Forget it," said Michael. "I'm out of here."

Max quickly got in front of Michael blocking the exit.

"Out of my way Maxwell."

"No. You two are going to stay in here and talk until you can get your crap sorted out. And don't bother trying to open the hatch, I reprogrammed it so that only my hand can open and close it."

"How did you do that?" Isabel asked.

"Like I'm gonna reveal that. I'll be back in a while to check on you."

* * *

"Remind me to kill your brother when we get out of here," Michael said still looking at the locked wall.

"Not unless I beat you to it," Isabel replied.

"Remind me to kill your husband too."

Isabel took a seat against the adjacent wall. "Do me a favor Michael, just shut up."

"Not gonna happen. The sooner we talk, the sooner we can get out of here. Whatever Jesse said to you it's his fault we're in here."

"Oh please, it's not his fault. Yeah he may have said something to me but if you had just kept your mouth shut then none of this would be happening right now."

"My fault, how is this my fault?"

"You told him about us Michael!" Isabel said getting swiftly to her feet. "You told him about our life before. Or did the power go to your head so much that you don't remember that?"

"He needed to know."

"Why? Why now when this has been a secret you and I have been so good at keeping other than when Alex and Maria thought there was something going on? What possible reason could you have to tell Jesse about us? I mean god Michael, he's my husband!"

"Because all you do is lie to him Isabel! How can you expect him to love you when you keep secrets from him? Yeah I told Jesse you and I were involved but he was going to figure it out one way or another."

"All I'm trying to do is protect him."

"He shouldn't have to be protected. He should get to live a normal life. He didn't ask for any of it."

"I thought you were okay with this."

"I tried to be for you because it's what you wanted. You can't keep living a lie Isabel, sooner or later it will destroy you."

"Why do you care so much?"

"Why can't you embrace what you are?"

"Because I didn't ask to be this. Jesse makes me feel human."

"Yeah sure and that's great but if you're with him you'll only be supressing yourself like you have for years. Aren't you tired of hiding who you are? At least with…"

Michael cut himself off. He knew he was getting dangerously close to admitting his true reason behind telling Jesse about them.

He turned away from Isabel not being able to look at her.

"At least with- go on finish."

"It doesn't matter."

"If it doesn't matter then why can't you look at me?"

"You wanted to get the hell out of here right, so just say it."

Michael turned to face her and took a step closer. "At least with me you wouldn't have to hide."

"Michael…"

He shrugged. "You wanted to know."

Isabel's heart skipped a beat and she gasped a little. "You didn't tell Jesse just for the sake of him having to know did you? There was more to it than that."

"It doesn't matter," Michael said again.

Isabel ran a hand through her hair. "Damn it, Michael! Damn you!"

"Damn me, fine go ahead and damn me all you want but at least I'm no longer denying what I've felt since we emerged from here when we were kids."

Isabel was beginning to tremble as Michael took a step closer.

"Come on Iz, don't tell me you haven't felt it. I know you have. We've just always gone along with the brother/sister act because it's what Max expected. It's what the whole damn town expected but it's never been that way with us, ever. It's always been deeper and you know it."

"I can't do this Michael."

"You've been living a lie for years Isabel and I'm not just talking about the alien thing."

Isabel looked up at him. "I know, and that's why I can't do it. I'm married, you have some weird thing going on with Maria. It's not possible."

"Those are situations that always can be fixed. I want you Isabel, always have. Only now I'm finally ready for it."

"I can't," Isabel said backing away from him. With all her strength Isabel blasted the rock wall that was holding them in. She then looked at Michael, "I'm sorry," she said.

Isabel walked away into the darkness leaving Michael to stand alone with only the green light of the cave to luminate him, casting him as a shadow.

* * *

**END**


End file.
